"many Southeast Asian countries. Pilgrimage to the Holy Cities of Mecca and Medina is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. The Hajj was made easier by the advent of the steamship in the 19th century. As the Hajj became more popular throughout Southeast Asia, Arabic and the Arabian brand of Islam were integrated further into the lives of Muslims in Southeast Asia. In accordance with the body of scholarly work on Islam in the Southeast Asia, the Hajj from Southeast garnered little to no attention. In today's modern age, Muslims interact with global technology, consumerism, and ideas in a"
"of Muhammad's first revelation of the Quran (specifically, a cave from Mecca), Mecca is regarded as the holiest city in the religion of Islam and a pilgrimage to it known as the Hajj is obligatory for all able Muslims. Mecca is home to the Kaaba, by majority description Islam's holiest site, as well as being the direction of Muslim prayer. Mecca was long ruled by Muhammad's descendants, the sharifs, acting either as independent rulers or as vassals to larger polities. It was conquered by Ibn Saud in 1925. In its modern period, Mecca has seen tremendous expansion in size and"
"Mecca to Jerusalem to stop by the tomb and pay his respects. In the mosque in a small niche there is a left footprint, believed to be from Muhammed. The Eyüp district in Istanbul is considered fourth holiest by some sources. Abu Ayyub al-Ansari (Eyüp Ensari), the friend and standard-bearer of Muhammad, is said to be buried in the Eyüp Sultan Mosque. Ottoman believers, considered this site to be third holiest in the world, after Mecca and Medina. Ottoman Sultan/Caliphs acceded to their title in a ceremony in the Eyüp mosque, as this location was more sacred than any location"
"Islam's second most important figure, this Mosque is considered by all Shi'ites as the third holiest Islamic site. The Boston Globe reports ""for the Muslim Shias, Najaf is the ""third holiest city"", behind Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia."" It is estimated that only Karbala, Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. According to Shias a hadith mentions the site as one of ""five definitive holy places that we respect very much"". Also buried within this mosque are Adam and Noah. The site is visited annually by at least 8 million pilgrims on average, which is estimated to increase to"
"Holiest sites in Sunni Islam According to Sahih al-Bukhari, Muhammad said """"Do not prepare yourself for a journey except to three Mosques: Masjid al-Haram, the Mosque of Aqsa (Jerusalem) and my Mosque."""" In the Islamic tradition, the Kaaba is considered the holiest site, followed by the Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (""The Prophet's Mosque"") and Al-Aqsa Mosque. Masjid al-Haram (""The Sacred Mosque""), is a large mosque in the city of Mecca, and the largest in Islam. It surrounds the Kaaba, the place which all Muslims face each day in prayer, considered by Muslims to be the holiest place on Earth. The current structure"
"the Muslim world then shifted to the newly conquered territories. Nevertheless, Mecca and Medina remained the spiritually most important places in the Muslim world. The Qur'an requires every able-bodied Muslim who can afford it, as one of the five pillars of Islam, to make a pilgrimage, or Hajj, to Mecca during the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah at least once in his or her lifetime. The Masjid al-Haram (the Grand Mosque) in Mecca is the location of the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, and the Masjid al-Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque) in Medina is the location of Muhammad tomb; as a result,"
"gathering of people in the world. Another important place for Muslims is the city of Medina, the second holiest site in Islam, in Saudi Arabia, the final resting place of Muhammad in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (The Mosque of the Prophet). The third holiest site in Islam, Al-Masjid Al-Aqsa was a major site for pilgrimage where Muslims gather to pray and visit the structures of the holy mosque especially the footprint of Muhammad before he ascended to paradise to meet with deceased prophets. However, due to conflict and disputes between Israel and Palestine the site has been less popular amongst Muslims to"
"the place to which he retired for his prayer. Jerusalem is Islam's third holiest city after Mecca and Medina in Saudi Arabia. Although the Koran does not clarify from where exactly Muhammad ascended to Heaven, the ""Haram al Sharif"" (Temple Mount) of Jerusalem is believed by Muslims to be the location. According to the tradition, during a single night around the year 621 CE, the Islamic prophet Muhammad was carried by his mythological steed ""al-Burāq"" from Mecca to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. According to the tradition, from there he ascended to heaven where he spoke with Allah. This widely"
"Sidi-Uqba (Uqba ibn nafée) also known as the Great Mosque of Kairouan. It has been said that seven pilgrimages to this mosque is considered the equivalent of one pilgrimage to Mecca. After its establishment, Kairouan became an Islamic and Qur'anic learning centre in North Africa. An article by Professor Kwesi Prah describes how during the medieval period, Kairouan was considered the fourth holiest city in Islam after Mecca, Medina and Jerusalem. Today, many consider the city as the fourth holiest in Islam. In memory of Sufi saints, Sufi festivals are held in the city. At the time of its greatest"
"Kaaba The Kaaba ( """" , ""The Cube""), also referred as ""al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah"" (, the Holy Ka'bah), is a building at the center of Islam's most important mosque, ""Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām"" (, The Sacred Mosque), in the Hejazi city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is the most sacred site in Islam. It is considered by Muslims to be the ""Bayṫ Allāh"" (, ""House of God""), and has a similar role to the Tabernacle and Holy of Holies in Judaism. Its location determines the ""qiblah"" (, direction of prayer). Wherever they are in the world, Muslims are expected to face the ""Kaaba"""
"the top candidates for Golgotha and thus has been a Christian pilgrimage site for the past two thousand years. In 1889, the Ottoman Empire allowed the Catholic Church to re-establish its hierarchy in Palestine. Other ancient churches, such as the Greek, Armenian, Syrian, and Coptic churches are also well represented in Jerusalem. Despite not being explicitly mentioned in the Quran, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city in Islam, after Mecca and Medina. The Temple Mount is topped by two Islamic landmarks intended to commemorate the event — al-Aqsa Mosque, derived from the name mentioned in the Quran, and the Dome of"
"Hajj the Hajj (; """" ""pilgrimage"") is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims, and a mandatory religious duty for Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence. Literally speaking, Hajj means heading to a place for the sake of visiting. In Islamic terminology, Hajj is a pilgrimage made to Kaaba, the ‘House of God’, in the sacred city of Mecca in Saudi Arabia. The rites of Hajj,"
"in Mecca and the second is Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Before Mecca and Jerusalem came under Muslim control between 630 CE and 638 CE, the site of the Kaaba, which (according to Muslim belief) was established by Abraham and Ismail, was used by non-Muslim Arabs who worshiped multiple gods. Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (Arabic: المسجد النبوي, ) or the Mosque of the Prophet, located in Medina, is the second holiest site in Islam. The edifice was originally the house of Muhammad; he settled there after his migration to Medina, and later built a mosque on the grounds. He himself shared in the"
"leads the guests who ritually clean the structure, using a broom. Kaaba The Kaaba ( """" , ""The Cube""), also referred as ""al-Kaʿbah al-Musharrafah"" (, the Holy Ka'bah), is a building at the center of Islam's most important mosque, ""Al-Masjid Al-Ḥarām"" (, The Sacred Mosque), in the Hejazi city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. It is the most sacred site in Islam. It is considered by Muslims to be the ""Bayṫ Allāh"" (, ""House of God""), and has a similar role to the Tabernacle and Holy of Holies in Judaism. Its location determines the ""qiblah"" (, direction of prayer). Wherever they"
"at Golgotha, his burial nearby (traditionally the Church of the Holy Sepulchre), and his resurrection and ascension and prophecy to return all are said to have occurred or will occur there. Jerusalem became holy to Muslims, third after Mecca and Medina. The Al-Aqsa Mosque, which translates to ""farthest mosque"" in sura Al-Isra in the Quran and its surroundings are addressed in the Quran as ""the holy land"". Muslim tradition as recorded in the ahadith identifies al-Aqsa with a mosque in Jerusalem. The first Muslims did not pray toward Kaaba, but toward Jerusalem (this was the ""qibla"" for 13 years): the"
"at least once in his or her lifetime. The Masjid al-Haram (the Grand Mosque) in Mecca is the location of the Kaaba, Islam's holiest site, and the Masjid al-Nabawi (the Prophet's Mosque) in Medina is the location of Muhammad tomb; as a result, from the 7th century, Mecca and Medina became the pilgrimage destinations for large numbers of Muslims from across the Muslim world. After the fall of the Umayyad empire in 750 CE, most of what was to become Saudi Arabia reverted to traditional tribal rule soon after the initial Muslim conquests, and remained a shifting patchwork of tribes"
"site for Sikhs and is welcome to people of any faith. Mecca in Saudi Arabia is the central religious place in Islam. Mecca is regarded as the holiest city in Islam, and a pilgrimage to it, known as the Hajj, is one of the pillars of Islam. Non-Muslims are prohibited from entering the city. Sikhs do not believe in pilgrimages; Muslims, in contrast, consider Hajj (pilgrimage to Mecca) a crucial part of the faith. During the Mughal Empire, Sikh gurus were persecuted along with other non-Muslims. The fifth Guru of Sikhs, Guru Arjan was executed by Jahangir. There were occasional"
"in Mecca and the second is Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. Before Mecca and Jerusalem came under Muslim control between 630 AD and 638 AD, the site of the Kaaba, which was established by Abraham and Ishmael, was used by non-Muslim Arabs who worshipped multiple gods. Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (""Mosque of the Prophet""), located in Medina, Saudi Arabia is the second holiest site in Islam. The edifice was originally Muhammad's house; he settled there after his Hijra (emigration) to Medina, and later built a mosque on the grounds. He himself shared in the heavy work of construction. The original mosque was an"
"in the capital, being the tomb of a companion of the prophet provided a ""blessing bestowal"" from the closest circle of Muhammad. Eyüp, who died at the unsuccessful siege on Constantinople, provided a remainder that the Ottomans succeeded where earlier Islamic armies, led by a companion of the prophet, failed. According to UNESCO, Harar in eastern Ethiopia is ""considered 'the fourth holy city' of Islam"" with 82 mosques, three of which date from the 10th century and 102 shrines. The most important mosque in Kairouan (Tunisia) is the Great Mosque of Sidi-Uqba (Uqba ibn nafée) also known as the Great"
"Bakkah Bakkah ( ), according to the Sunni and Shi'a scholars, is an ancient name for Mecca, the most holy city of Islam. Most people believe they are synonyms, but to Muslim scholars there is a distinction: Bakkah refers to the Kaaba and the sacred site immediately surrounding it, while Mecca is the name of the city in which they are both located. According to Lisan Al Arab of Ibn Manzor, the site of Kaaba and its surroundings was named Bakkah due to crowding and congestion of people in the area. The Arabic verb bakka (بكَّ), with double ""k"", means"
"the 1st millennium BCE, assumed central symbolic importance for the Jewish people. The sobriquet of holy city (""עיר הקודש"", transliterated ""'ir haqodesh"") was probably attached to Jerusalem in post-exilic times. The holiness of Jerusalem in Christianity, conserved in the Septuagint which Christians adopted as their own authority, was reinforced by the New Testament account of Jesus's crucifixion there. In Sunni Islam, Jerusalem is the third-holiest city, after Mecca and Medina. In Islamic tradition, in 610 CE it became the first qibla, the focal point for Muslim prayer (salat), and Muhammad made his Night Journey there ten years later, ascending to"
"• Dakar: news coverage of the presence of Iran’s president in OIC Summit • Khartoum: news coverage of the meetings of Iran’s president with Sudanese officials • Jeddah: second largest city; pilgrimage gateway to Mecca • Medina: second holiest city in Islam (traditionally spelled Medina in English) • Mecca: the holiest city in Islam (traditionally spelled Mecca in English) 2001: Germany • Frankfurt: covering Frankfurt Book Fair the largest forum for e-publishing • Heidelberg: covering Heidelberg Print Media Academy • Stuttgart: Covering book distribution companies • Frankfurt: taking part in Big Questions Seminar dealing with the uncertain future of print"
"Ahmadi Muslims there are in the country. The two holiest cities of Islam, Mecca and Medina, are in Saudi Arabia. For many reasons, non-Muslims are not permitted to enter the holy cities although some Western non-Muslims have been able to enter, disguised as Muslims. The large number of foreign workers living in Saudi Arabia (8 million expatriates out of a total population of 27 million) includes non-Muslims. For non-Sunni Muslims, non-Muslims, and non-religious, ""freedom of religion is neither recognized nor protected under the law"" and Saudi ""government policies continued to place severe restrictions on religious freedom"", according to the 2013"
"of pilgrimage throughout the Shi'ite Islamic world. It is estimated that only Mecca and Medina receive more Muslim pilgrims. As the burial site of Shi'i Islam's second most important figure, the Imam Ali Mosque is considered by Shiites as the third holiest Islamic site. The Imam ‘Ali Mosque is housed in a grand structure with a gold gilded dome and many precious objects in the walls. Nearby is the Wadi-us-Salaam cemetery, the largest in the world. It contains the tombs of several prophets and many of the devout from around the world aspire to be buried there, to be raised"
"Al-Aqsa Mosque Al-Aqsa Mosque (, , ""the Farthest Mosque""), located in the Old City of Jerusalem, is the third holiest site in Islam. The mosque was built on top of the Temple Mount, known as Haram esh-Sharif in Islam. Muslims believe that Muhammad was transported from the Sacred Mosque in Mecca to al-Aqsa during the Night Journey. Islamic tradition holds that Muhammad led prayers towards this site until the 17th month after his migration from Mecca to Medina, when Allāh directed him to turn towards the Kaaba in Mecca. The covered mosque building was originally a small prayer house erected"
"Al-Ma'idah (5), Al-Isra' (17), Al-Anbiya and Saba (34): Damascus and particularly the Umayyad Mosque is considered by some Muslims to be the fourth holiest site in Islam. One of the four authorized copies of the Quran was kept here, and the head of John the Baptist is believed to be in the shrine. One of the minarets is dedicated to ʿĪsā ibn Maryam (Jesus) and it is believed he will return to it to judge the world. It is believed that after the end of the world prayers will continue for forty years in the mosque, and that prayers in"
"2008, killing seven people. The Masjid al-Haram is the largest mosque in the world and surrounds Islam's holiest place, the Kaaba, in the city of Mecca. Muslims face in the direction of the Kaaba while performing prayers. One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the Hajj pilgrimage at least once in his or her lifetime if able to do so, including circumambulation of the Kaaba. There have been many major incidents during the Hajj over the years, causing the loss of thousands of lives. To prevent crushes and accommodate more pilgrims each year during the"
"the mosque are considered to be equal to those offered in Jerusalem. Hebron is a Palestinian city in the southern West Bank, south of Jerusalem, considered by many Muslims to be the fourth holiest city in Islam. Its Arab name, ""Al-Khalil"" meaning ""friend of God"", stems from the belief that it was the city Abraham settled in. Within the city lies the Sanctuary of Abraham, the traditional burial site of the biblical Patriarchs and Matriarchs, and the ""Ibrahimi Mosque"" built on top of the tomb to honor the prophet. Muslims believe that Muhammed visited Hebron on his nocturnal journey from"
"Great Mosque of Mecca The Great Mosque of Mecca, also called ""Al-Haram Mosque"" (, ""the Forbidden Mosque"", ""the Holy Mosque"" or ""the Sacred Mosque"") or ""Grand Mosque of Makkah"", is the largest mosque in the world, and surrounds the Islamic ""Qiblah"", that is the ""Ka‘bah"" in the Hejazi city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Muslims face the Kaaba while praying. One of the Five Pillars of Islam requires every Muslim to perform the ""Ḥajj"", one of the largest annual gatherings of people in the world, at least once in their lifetime when able to do so, including circumambulating the Kaaba. It"
"classify al-Aqsa Mosque as the third holiest site in Islam. For example, Sahih al-Bukhari quotes Abu Darda as saying: ""the Prophet of God Muhammad said a prayer in the Sacred Mosque (in Mecca) is worth 100,000 prayers; a prayer in my mosque (in Medina) is worth 1,000 prayers; and a prayer in al-Aqsa Mosque is worth 500 prayers more than in any other mosque"". In addition, the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation refers to the al-Aqsa Mosque as the third holiest site in Islam (and calls for Arab sovereignty over it). The Waqf Ministry of Jordan held control of the al-Aqsa"
"legitimately called ""ḥaram"" were Mecca, Medina, and probably also the valley of Wajj in Ta'if, thus rejecting other places like Hebron and even Jerusalem. In fact, one of the Islamic names of Jerusalem, ""thālith al-ḥaramayn"" (, literally ""the third of the two holy places"") resolves the tension between the unchallengeable pre-eminence of Mecca and Medina versus the desire to recognize Jerusalem as having a special status in Islam in a somewhat paradoxical manner. Jerusalem, being home to Al-Aqsa Mosque (one of the few mosques that are mentioned by name in the Quran, and consequently one of the most important mosques)"
"Safed."" Four Holy Cities The Four Holy Cities (, ) is the collective term in Jewish tradition applied to the cities of Jerusalem, Hebron, Safed and, later, Tiberias, the four main centers of Jewish life after the Ottoman conquest of Israel. The ""holy cities"" concept dates to the 1640s, with Tiberias joining in 1740, resulting from the creation of an association between the cities for the collection of halukka (funds for the needy). According to the 1906 Jewish Encyclopedia: ""Since the sixteenth century the Holiness of Palestine, especially for burial, has been almost wholly transferred to four cities—Jerusalem, Hebron, Tiberias,"
"mentioned in the Qur'an. Jerusalem served as the first qibla (direction of prayer) for Muslims. Whilst Muslims were in Mecca, and also for 17–18 months in Medina, Muslims prayed towards Jerusalem. Early mosques in Medina were built to face Jerusalem. In 625, the qibla was changed to the Kaaba in Mecca. After Muhammad, many of his Companions lived in Jerusalem, and upon their death they were buried there. In Mandaeism (an ancient Gnostic-like non-Christian religion, once significant in numbers but now a small group found primarily in parts of southern Iran and Iraq), Jerusalem is considered a city of wickedness,"